Broadway actor Michael McGrath, who originated the role of Patsy in “Spamalot” and won a 2012 Tony Award for his featured role in the musical “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” has died at the age of 65.
While his cause of death was not immediately made known, McGrath’s publicist Lisa Goldberg confirmed he died Thursday at his home in Bloomfield, N.J.
“Very saddened to hear that Michael McGrath, our first and most beloved Patsy in ‘Spamalot,’ has passed away,” Monty Python member Eric Idle wrote on social media. “Warm hugs to all the ‘Spamalot’ family and very happy memories of a lovely man.”
Broadway icon Kristin Chenoweth, with whom McGrath starred in the 2015 revival of “On the Twentieth Century,” also mourned the loss.
“Michael McGrath was a comedic genius and my dear friend,” she wrote on Friday. “This is the end of an era. Thank God I knew him. I love you and will miss you.”
McGrath, originally from Worcester, Mass., made his Broadway debut in 1992 as part of the ensemble of the musical “My Favorite Year.”
The actor went on to appear in over a dozen Broadway shows, including “Memphis,” “Born Yesterday,” and “Tootsie.” Most recently, he served as standby for Matthew Broderick in the revival of Neil Simon’s “Plaza Suite.”
The veteran actor also amassed a collection of film and television credits over the course of his 30-year career. From 1999-2000, he was the announcer and sidekick on NBC’s “The Martin Short Show.”
McGrath is survived by his wife of 30 years, actor Toni Di Buono, and their daughter, actor Katie Claire McGrath.
With News Wire Services
